Last.



STEPHEN T. HENNESSY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

LAST.

Speofication of Letters IPatent.

Application filed September 7, 1909.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 516,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S'rErI-IEN T. HEN- NnssY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re` siding at. Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention i'elates to separable lasts, and its objects are to providea separable last having a readily detachable toe block; to provide sucha last which shall be rigid when in use but which may be readilyrendered yielding for the purpose of removal from the shoe; to provide alast which yields where the human foot yields, and to provide a lastwhich shall combine the advantages of a solid last and a collapsiblelast.

My invention consists in the parts and combination and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a last embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 a perspective view of the instep block, a part beingcut away to show the interior construction; Fig. 3 a pcrspective view ofthe heel-and-arch block; Fig. 11 a perspective view of the toe block;Fig'. 5 a side elevation of the instep block showing the side oppositethat shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 a detail.

The reference numeral l designates the heel--and-arch block 2 the instepblock and 3 the Atoe'block. The heel-and-arch block terminates in a face4, preferably curved and adapted to register with a corresponding face 5on the rear of the toe block, the lower line of junction beingapproximately where the arch, or shank, ends and the broad sole begins.The instep face of the heel-and-arch block is provided with alongitudinal slot 6, adapted to receive a guide and fastening rod 7connected with the Vin' step block by a thin plate or fin 8, secured ina longitudinal slit 9. To the instep face is secured a plate 10,preferably of sheet metal, provided with a narrow longitudinal slot 11registering with slot 6 and adapted to receive the fin 8 of the guiderod 7. The plate 10 extends beyond the front end of the heel-and-archblock and, at its free end, is rolled to provide an abutment 12. The toeplate is provided with a slot 13 adapted to receive the free end ofplate 10, the slot terminating` in a bore, or enlargement, 111 adaptedto receive the abutinent 12. The end face 15 of the instep block is cutto correspond with the upper rear face 16 of the toe block. Guide rod 7extends beyond the front face of the instep block, and is adapted totake into a socket 17 in the toe block. A spring pin 18, inounted on theheel-and-arch block, and adapted to take into an aperture 19 in theinstep block, serves to lock the instep block in position.

In asseinbling the last, the toe piece is slipped over its free end ofplate 10 until the two blocks are in proper alinement. This will bringsocket 17 into alinement with guide slot 6, and the abutinent 12,engaging with the walls of the bore 14, will lock the blocks againstlongitudinal movement relatively to each other, the joint, however,being' somewhat flexible. The instep block is then positioned byinserting the guide rod in slot 6 and sliding the block into engagementwith the toe block. The free end of the guide rod takes into the socket17, and looks the toe block in alinement with the heel-and-arch blockand the instep block. As the instep block reaches its position of usethe spring pin 18 takes into aperture 19 and the three blocks arefirinly locked together. By forcing the spring` pin out of v mosteffective for withdrawal purposes.

By making the main, or body portion of the last to' include both heeland arch it is possible to use a large number of toe blocks ofdifferent, form with a single heel-andarch block of a given size andheight of heel, and the same toe blocks may be used with all lasts ofthe same size, without regard to the height of heel, thus avoiding thenecessity of keeping individual lasts for each style of toe and a seriesof such lasts for each height of heel.

By making the metal plate on the instep4 face of the same thickness asthe kerf made in separating the heel-and-arch block from the instepblock, the necessity of allowing for the kerf in turning the last isavoided, and a last is produced which has no unfilled oints which mightinjure the shoe.

I claim as my invention:

1. A last comprising a heeland-arch block; a toe block adapted to bedetachably and fiexibly connected therewith; an instep block; and meansfor looking the toe block into rigid engagernent With the heel-andarchblock.

2. A last comprising a heel-and-arch block; a toe block adapted to bedetachably and fiexibly connected therewith, and an instep block adaptedto lock the toe block into rigid engagement With the heel-andarch block.

3. A last comprising a heel-and-arch block; a toe block adapted to bedetachably connected the-rewith; an instep block; gua-rd elements in theheel-and-arch block and the toe block; and a guide rod carried by theinstep block, adapted to take into the guard elements and lock them inengagement.

4. A last comprising a heel-and-arch block; a toe block adapted to bedetachably and fiexibly connected thereWith; an instep block; guardelements in the heel-and-arch block and'the toe block; and a guide rodcarried by the instep block, adapted to take into the guide elements inthe heel-and-arch block and the toe block and lock them in engagement.

5. The combination in a last of a heel-andarch block having alongitudinal slot in its instep face; a plate secured to the instep facehaving a slot registering With the slot in the block; the plateextending beyond the front face of the block, and provided with anabutment at its free end; a toe block having a slot adapted to receivethe free end of the plate and hold it against longitudinal movement; aninstep block; and a guide rod carried thereby and adapted to take intothe slot in the instep face of the heeland-arch block and lock theseveral blocks against lateral displacement.

6. Thecombination in a last of a heel-andarch block having alongitudinal slot in its instep face; a plate secured to the instep facehaving a slot registering With the slot in the block, the plateextending beyond the front face of the block, and provided with anabutment at its free end; a toe block having a slot adapted to receivethe free end of the plate and hold it against longitudinal movement; aninstep block; a guide rod carried thereby adapted to take into the slotin the instep face of the heel-and-arch block and lock the severalblocks against lateral displacement; and means for looking the instepblock in position.

7 The combination in a last of a heel-andarch block having alonfritudinal slot in its instep face; a fiexible pzlate secured to theinstep face having a slot registering With the slot in the block, theplate extendlng beyond the front face of the block and provided with anabutment at its free end; a toe block having a slot adapted to receivethe free end of the plate and hold it against longitudinal movement; aninstep block; and a guide rod carried thereby adapted to take into theslot in the instep face of the heel-and-arch block and lock the severalblocks against lateral displacement.

8. The combination in a last of a heel-andarch block having alongitudinal slot in its instep face; a plate secured to the instep facehaving a slot registering With the slot in the block, the plateextending beyond the front face of the block, and provided with anabutment at its free end; an instep block; a guide rod carried therebyextending beyond the front face of the block and adapted to take throughthe guide slot in the heeland-arch block; and a toe block having a slotadapted to receive the free end of the plate and its abutment and asocket adapted to receive the free end of the guide rod.

9. The combination in a last of a heel-andarch block having alongitudinal slot in its instep face; a plate secured to the instep facehaving a slot registering with the slot in the block, the plateextending beyond the front face of the block; and provided With anabutment at its free end; an instep block; a guide rod carried thereby,extending beyond the front face of the block and adapted to take throughthe guide slot in the heeland-arch block; a toe block having a slotadapted to receive the free end of the plate and its abutment and asocket adapted to receive the free end of the guide rod; and means forlooking the instep block in position.

STEPHEN T. HENNESSY.

VVitnesses 7. VV. SYMMES, WARY GERHARDSTEIN.

